Sony's Airpeak drone makes its debut at CES 2021
- par Xavier Trudeau
- dans Financer
- — Jan 13, 2021
Sony's Vision-S Prototype, the vehicle it revealed at last year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES), appears to be on the path to production as it enters a road-testing phase of development.
Sony meted out additional details on its forthcoming Airpeak camera drone at this week's virtual CES, after having announced its intentions to enter the space a year ago.
It's been 12 months since then, and while the auto isn't present at CES 2021, the company has revealed that it has completed an updated prototype, which has now embarked on public road tests in Europe as promised. With Sony's drone, content creators can use more heavy-duty cameras to capture aerial footage rather than having to rely on built-in cameras that come equipped with most drones.
We'll have more details as they become available.
The Vision-S has every bit of safety and entertainment tech that Sony can pack into the vehicle as a way to develop these features as a supplier for automakers. Additionally, the center infotainment screen has a unique interface, featuring a series of tiles more akin to apps than the traditional menus and submenus that exist in cars today. Sure, DJI has some decent drones, but you're usually either forced to use their cameras (as is the case with the likes of the Mavics and Phantoms) or you're paying Hollywood production prices for a higher-end Matrice (and a Ronin to bolt onto it) designed for big hefty cinema rigs. According to the Japanese electronic giant, the whole system continuously evolves through repeated use, and actual driving data and preferences are taken into account to make the vehicle as comfortable as possible.
Sony is also famous for entertaining people, so the Vision-S highlights this, too.
All of this begs the question: Why would a company invest so much money, time, and resources into a project that they had no intent of producing? Sony is aiming to bring the Airpeak to market this Spring. However, given the rapid developments in the automotive industry these days with the shift to electrification, one can not completely rule out the possibility of the Japanese giant building the vehicle. But we do know that Sony plans to kick the thing into full swing at some point during spring 2021. The footage detailing the car's development can be viewed below.
